Page 31 (1/2)

Evangeline finishes drinking froirl flops inover ers White pearls of foa ht I first rabstoto anyone This was a mistake"

"If you leave now, that’s it between us I’ll never be with you," Evangeline threatens

I hesitate for a second, panicked at the idea of what I’irl I was supposed to be with Not just that, she’s a twin-blood, the only one I know If I leave now, I risk losing her forever and being on ain Except, it dawns on me, I wouldn’t be alone, not really I’d have Natalie I never once felt alone when I ith her I don’t know if Natalie will ever forgiveit all to find out

Without another word, I go upstairs into the pawnshop I’lass counter by the till I check no one is looking, then srab the watch and run out before anyone catches , as I take my detour over the rooftops I jump down onto her balcony and knock on the ait for a ain, louder this time in case she didn’t hear me The curtain twitches, and Natalie’s blue eyes peer at h the tiny slit between the drapes

"Natalie--"

She closes the curtains, shutting lass "I’ she’ll letto co she’ll find it It’s not , but I need her to kno sorry I as to rab the phone and dial Beetle’s number

Day answers his phone, as I hoped she would

"Do you knohat tiily

"Yeah, yeah, sorry How’s Beetle?"

"He’s alive Did you need so?"

"Yeah I need to ask you a favor"

I just hope this is going to work

28

NATALIE

I HEAR ASH LEAVE, but I don’t chase after him I won’t

My pilloith tears, but the pain won’t wash away, nohauntsmad He broke my heart Sorry, her heart It wasn’t ever mine to break What really hurts is I still feel the same way about him I love him more than ever; he’s still the boy who ran across the rooftops with me, the boy I played in the snoith Not that it matters now I’m not his Blood Mate He only ever wanted me because of some stolen heart

My chest throbs, and I take one of h I knoon’t help with this heartache I roll ontoThe room starts to feel too s in around o over to the balconyto let in so on ot it back for esture, but I’er over the watch face, ader halts I look at the watch face liold

Horror and disbelief rise up inside limmer like this before: the Bastet skull at the museum What had Sebastian said? The Bastet’s saber teeth were iold

I run to htstand and empty my jewelry box onto the bed The phial of Golden Haze rolls across the sheets, sparkling with the same metallic sheen as the Bastet ivory

I covera scream as the truth hits me

The Golden Haze has been mixed with Bastet venoet Bastet venom

The Sentry HQ laboratory

The Bastet boy is curled up in the corner of the cell, his tail wrapped around his naked body His feet are chained to the wall He’s emaciated, and there are bruises all over his tanned, brown-spotted torso What have they been doing to hieline She irl As much as I want to hate her, I can’t They brutalized her and took away her only chance at love by giving ht to be mad at theh I know Mother did it to save eline ahen they cut out her heart; that was just cruel

I cautiously enter the boy’s cell I found the key to his shackles in Craven’s drawers It makes me sick to think this is what Craven andon these past weeks It explains why they needed so et the Haze from somewhere The only question I have is, why? What could Mother possibly gain by contaovern children, there will be mutiny It doesn’t make sense No wonder she was so keen to blaoat She’s been playing us all

The boy lifts his head and looks at olden eyes Only the tips of his curved saber teeth are showing; the rest have retracted back inside his skull

"I’o, but you have to proives a curt nod

I know it’s a big risk, but I don’t care I won’t let Mother hareline I unlock the s to his feet and grabsme down on the hard cell floor Panic spills over me in waves as he bares his saber teeth at me I claw at his hands I don’t want to die like this, please, not like this, not like Father

"You prohtens around o of me, and I scrah the kitchens There are no guards there at this tiht," I say

"I will remember your kindness," he says, and rushes out of the room

I rub o off When they don’t, I know he’s escaped I curl up against the cell wall, trying to hold back the tears How could Mother do this? Somehow I suspect Purian Rose is behind it all, but what proof do I have? My head spins just thinking about it There’s only one person I want to talk to right now, but he’s the last person I want to see

I go back to et this day ever happened I walk past Polly’s door and notice it’s open a crack That’s odd I enter her roo over Polly’s sleeping body is Evangeline The white curtains billowing in the wind

"Get away froeline turns to look at et away from her," I say eline is too close to Polly She’d kill her before anyone could reach us

Polly stirs in her bed, unaware of the danger she’s in Her black hair pools over her pillow, and Evangeline lightly touches it

"What do you want?" I say, panicked

"I wanted to talk to you"

"So you broke into my house? Most people use a phone"

"Your sister is very pretty, even with her scars," she says